Wednesday, December 14, 2011

OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:DRAFT STANDARD ON BUSHFIRE WATER SPRAY SYSTEMS

The Draft Australian Standard on Bushfire Water Spray Systems (DR AS 5414) is open for public comment Standards Australia announced today.

“Australia will always be at risk from bushfire, but there are strategies which can be adopted to at least reduce the likelihood of devastation,” said Adrian O’Connell, General Manager of Operations, Standards Australia.

“This Standard is about managing the risk posed by bushfires and will provide yet another option towards greater bushfire protection.

Mr O’Connell said the objective of the Standard is to provide system designers and installers with information on the design, installation and maintenance of bushfire water spray systems.

“Bushfire water spray systems are intended to complement the requirements of AS 3959, and should be considered as one component of a holistic fire management plan,” Mr O’Connell said.

“While the measures contained in this Standard cannot guarantee that a building will survive a bushfire on every occasion, the techniques outlined in the Standard go some way towards mitigating the risk.

“There is increased community vigilance when it comes to managing the threat of bushfire, so this Standard is about meeting the need for a wider array of bushfire management strategies,” Mr O’Connell said.

The public comment period closes on 8 February 2012. Comments can be registered through www.standards.org.au